September 07, 2008

Saturday's Surf

Yesterday, the storm had passed. Tropical storm Hanna blew through with minimal consequence. In fact, the worry that preceded the storm largely outweighed the storm itself. Things have a way of doing that...

As the sun came out, the calm that usually follows such precipitous fury blanketed my home island of Hilton Head, SC. It felt like, after a long, tense week, the earth had finally relaxed.

The water was smooth. The sky was a crystal blue. The sun was high and white and warm.

The aftermath of Hanna had created ideal conditions to surf in. The waves were rolling through in sets, about hip high and the wind was offshore. Perfect longboarding conditions. Even if I hadn't ridden my 9'4" in nearly a year.

Lugging that monster of a board into the water was oddly comforting. It was after all, the board I learned to surf on. It had seen plenty of action in its day and had long since stopped being the prettiest plank of foam and fiberglass on the block.

It was dinged and chipped. It had duct tape covering up a significant gouge on its nose. Sand had found its way into the wax from lending it out to too many people who didn't feel the need to take care of it properly or watch what they were doing. But it was right and familiar and safe.

It took awhile to get used to riding it again. It was a single fin set-up and lacked that side bites I was used to having which allowed me to corner in the waves with much more abruptness. Riding a longboard is much more subtle. I took some diggers early and had to laugh at the spectacular feeling of giddiness I was feeling at the seemingly foreign affair of it all.

Yet, paddling that big canoe of a board around again seemed effortless in these particular conditions. I never got tired. I sat deep, just waiting and watching. Time and time again I got to familiarize myself with my equipment, grabbing waves with ease and by the end of my session, I had brought the board back under some semblance of control.

It made for a beautiful day. A day of peace. Even when the four foot gray-black shark jumped completely out of the water 25 yards away from me while chasing bait fish for lunch.

Oddly enough I was not frightened in the least. I thought it was beautiful. I knew the sharks were not there for me yesterday. I knew it was simply a day to get back to my roots and surf.

Now, I ask you, does there seem to more to surfing than just surfing? Or is it just me?

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Aunt Cheri said she read your most recent blog. So I asked her what she thought of the shark. So instead of talking to ME, even tho I called long distance, she got online and read about the shark. Sisters are the best.

Chip Heath and Dan Heath: Made To StickSmart brothers, classic case studies and sound reasoning. The book just makes sense. (***)

Clotaire Rapaille: The Culture CodeCulture certainly plays a role in what we want and how it should be sold to be successful. And Fortune 500 companies pay Rapaille very well to tell them how. Great insight on the perspective one needs to carry in today's global society. (***)

Seth Godin: The Big MooFun book. Short, poignant stories of success. Reminder that being remarkable and being perfect are vastly separate entities. (***)

Required Reading (As I See It)

Bruce Lee: Striking Thoughts: Bruce Lee's Wisdom For Daily LivingSimple. Profound. Striking. All from a man who died at 32. (****)

Ernest Hemingway: To Have And Have NotThe guy's a master. This is my current favorite selection. (****)

Harper Lee: To Kill A MockingbirdTwo words: Atticus. Finch. (****)

Marcus Aurelius: MeditationsHow many times do you get to crawl inside the head of a Roman emperor? (***)

Stephen F. Kaufman: The Book of Five RingsMiyamoto Musashi was the baddest philosopher/samurai that ever lived. He served no master but himself. The Book of Five Rings is his definitive strategy on proper living. (****)

Jon Krakauer: Into The WildI read this book before it was "cool". Great investigative reporting regarding one of life's most epic searches for "the truth". (****)

Neil Strauss: Motley Crue: the dirtRampant destruction in the name of greed, lust and arrogance. You will feel dirty after reading this book. (***)

Don Miguel Ruiz: The Four AgreementsLive life better. We all need to be reminded how. Some of us need to be shown. (***)

Dante: The InfernoThe classic treatise on the damned. I could think of people who need to re-read this in today's world. (****)

David Rensin: All For A Few Perfect WavesA series of interviews, from the men and women who paved the first roads of modern surfing, concerning the enigmatic life and times of surfing's legendary genius and consummate asshole Miki Dora. I'm still not sure what to make of Da Cat. (***)